N-meet on deadlock

Nuclear powers and non-nuclear nations are unlikely to ease the deadlock in global disarmament talks next week at a UN forum that has failed to achieve any breakthrough for over a decade, diplomats said on Sunday.

Nuclear powers and non-nuclear nations are unlikely to ease the deadlock in global disarmament talks next week at a UN forum that has failed to achieve any breakthrough for over a decade, diplomats said on Sunday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the ministerial session in New York on September 24 to give political impetus to the Conference on Disarmament, the world’s sole multilateral negotiating body which is known as the "CD".

But few expect the 65-member Geneva forum to move forward on disarmament, despite endorsements from President Barack Obama and others for a nuclear-free world.

CD members include all the five official nuclear powers — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US — plus Israel, Iran and North Korea.